


The Portman's Toe

by dustandroses



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Community: tamingthemuse, Established Relationship, Ficlet, M/M, domestic fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 13:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dustandroses/pseuds/dustandroses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spike moves in.  Xander gets sappy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Portman's Toe

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt Notes:** Inspiration for this fic taken from the Live Journal Community Tamingthemuse prompt #387: Portmanteau  
>  **Notes:** For those who're wondering, [portmanteau](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/portmanteau) has more than one meaning. I chose to go with the luggage meaning, 'cause I couldn't get past Spike saying "Portmanteau," and Xander replying "Portman's toe?" It just wouldn't leave me alone, no matter how much I tried.  
>  OMG, I think I wrote a domestic fic!

Xander dropped the last of the bags onto the floor before falling onto the couch. He lay there, one giant ache, and surveyed the mess in his living room. “I can’t believe you had this much stuff stored in your car.”

“The DeSoto has a large trunk.” Spike surveyed the room. “I had no bleeding idea I had some of this stuff. I thought Dru had taken it all out before I left Rio.”

They’d emptied out Spike’s crypt earlier; there hadn’t been much Spike wanted. A few bags, a box or two, and Spike was happy to leave the rest behind him. Almost everything on the floor of Xander’s living room was from his car.

“What did you do with all this?” Xander waved his hand vaguely though the air, encompassing all the boxes and strange looking bags. 

Spike laughed, “You don’t want to know, mate.” 

He picked up a stack of boxes and carried them over to the dining room, placing them against a wall. “I’ll leave these here until we have the chance to pick up the lumber for the bookcase.” He leaned against the chair at the head of the table, and stared at Xander until he squirmed self-consciously.

“What?” he asked defensively.

“Are you sure you want to _make_ a bookshelf? We could pick up one at a used furniture store; it would be much easier for you.”

Xander sat up, frowning. “You don’t want me to make you a bookcase?” He didn’t know why that bothered him, but it did. 

“Oh, no! I’d like it. It’s just a lot of work for you to go to, when we can get a used one fairly cheaply.”

“I kind of like the idea of making something for you. No one gets to see my carpentery skills, since they’re all done at the site. It would be kind of cool to have something to show off, and say, ‘I made this for Spike’.”

Spike’s slow grin ignited a fire in Xander’s chest. He loved it when he managed to bring out the soft in Spike. Most of the time, Spike was all sharp, jagged edges that could cut you if you weren’t careful – fierce and angry. And sexy, he could never forget the sexy. Oh, boy, was he sexy. But the Spike that smiled at him like this was thoughtful and loving, two words Xander never thought he’d ever call Spike when he first showed up at Giles’ place for Thanksgiving dinner over a year ago. Spike warmed Xander’s heart every time Spike let him in like that.

Xander wasn’t so tired anymore. He got up, intent on kissing Spike, so he could feel that smile against his lips, but he misjudged the height of some chunky piece of luggage, and went down, sprawled across the floor. He lay there on his back, his foot still tangled in the strap of the suitcase or whatever. Was that made of leather? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Spike was laughing his ass off, and the mood was totally spoiled.

“So much for the big romantic kiss I had planned,” Xander complained. “This moment of hilarity was brought to you by Xander Harris’ clumsy incoordination.” He paused, thinking that word over. “Uncoordination? See? I can’t even get the word right!”

Spike came over to sit beside him on the wooden floor, still chuckling. “Nah, mate, I think the ineptitude was as much the portmanteau’s fault as your own.”

Xander rolled his eyes. “If that was an attempt to make me feel better, you’ll have to try it in American, ‘cause I didn’t get a word you said. What’s a portman’s toe?”

Spike huffed in disgust at Xander’s lack of knowledge. This was familiar ground for them, as much in fun as in seriousness. Spike was just as likely to blame Xander’s teachers as he was Xander, and he was more than willing to pass on the blame. The American education system was a favorite subject for a good, old-fashioned Spike-rant. 

“That thing your foot is tangled up in; that’s a portmanteau. It’s a piece of luggage.”

Xander kicked it as he tried to free his foot. “Leave me alone, foul hellbeast! This is _my_ foot, and you cannot have it!”

Spike smacked Xander’s leg as he leaned over to free the trapped foot. “Stop kicking it, it’s an antique.”

“So what?” Xander shoved out his lower lip into a pout. “You love it more than you do me.” 

“It’s easily a hundred years older than you are,” Spike pointed out, “and much less likely to pout.”

Xander ignored that last remark. “A hundred years? Wow. We should go digging through the trunk of the DeSoto more often. What do you think it would be worth?”

“Well, with the unfortunate, rather _large_ blood stain on the inside, I’d say it’s much more of a sentimental find than a monetary one.” He looked into Xander’s eyes, and promised him, “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to pay you back for getting the DeSoto out of impound.”

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t care about that.” He ran his hand over Spike’s thigh, touching him simply because he could. “I’m just glad you agreed to move in with me.”

“Yeah?” Spike managed to look cool, and pleased at the same time. He was a talented man. “I’m glad you asked.”

Xander pulled Spike down, and kissed him until Xander was out of breath, and had to pull away. 

“Welcome to the House of Harris,” he said with a smile, and pulled Spike down for another kiss.


End file.
